THE WESTERN Bulldogs must wait another year for a shot at the premiership after a heartbreaking seven-point loss to St Kilda in their preliminary final at the MCG on Friday night.

The Dogs led by 17 points at quarter time and seven points at the main break before the Saints prevailed in a thrilling second half, 9.6 (60) to 7.11 (53).

St Kilda skipper Nick Riewoldt booted four second-half goals to lead his side to a famous victory while Brad Johnson and Mitch Hahn slotted two majors for the Dogs.

Riewoldt was the matchwinner but midfielders Lenny Hayes (34 possessions) and Nick Dal Santo (30) were also prominent for the winners.

The Bulldogs, devastated on the field at the final siren, had plenty of good players but ultimately it wasn’t enough.

Ryan Griffen (28 touches) and Matthew Boyd (26) were the Dogs’ most prolific, while defenders Jarrod Harbrow, Lindsay Gilbee and Brian Lake were also impressive.

The Bulldogs’ slender half time lead was all but demolished before a ball was bounced in the third quarter.

Defender Brian Lake conceded an off-the-ball free kick to Riewoldt, who kicked his first goal of the night from point blank range.

When Sam Fisher drifted forward 10 minutes later and kicked truly from 50m, the Saints hit the front for the first time.

Riewoldt extended his side’s lead 60 seconds later and suddenly, St Kilda had all the momentum.

A checkside goal from Dogs skipper Brad Johnson slowed the Saints’ charge and a classy snap from Daniel Giansiracusa – who had been quiet to that point – put his side back in front late in the term.

It didn’t last as Stephen Milne bobbed up for his first goal of the night with seconds to play, giving the Saints a five-point lead at the last change.

The opening stages of the final term were hard fought as expected, before Johnson marked strongly one-out and booted his second goal.

With their noses in front, the Bulldogs lifted their intensity at the contest but the Saints matched them as the ball bounced frenetically from end to end.

It took a trademark grab on the lead and a subsequent goal from Riewoldt to break the stalemate, putting St Kilda up by two points with six minutes to play.

Giansiracusa’s difficult shot on the run drifted wide to cut the margin to a point before the Saints skipper scrambled his fourth goal through from the goal square with less than two minutes remaining.

Two goals in 90 seconds proved too much of an ask for the gallant Bulldogs and the Saints moved into their first grand final since 1997.

Earlier, the Bulldogs scored the game’s first goal after five minutes through the unlikely Liam Picken.

They dominated early possession as St Kilda struggled to hit targets through the midfield, but goals proved hard to come by.

Shaun Higgins doubled the Dogs’ advantage after 20 minutes after Sam Gilbert missed a crucial tackle in defence.

The Saints began to win their share of the ball late in the term but struggled to find targets up forward.

Dale Morris was instrumental in defence, cutting off several attacking forays to help the Dogs keep St Kilda to a goalless quarter for just the second time in 2009.

With a 17-point lead at the first break, Rodney Eade’s men had made the best possible start.

The Saints squandered early opportunities in the second term before goals to Nick Dal Santo and Andrew McQualter tightened the game considerably.

However, the Dogs responded in the best possible fashion with two Hahn goals in three minutes.

A clever snap from Lenny Hayes kept the Saints in touch, but the pressure began to tell on both sides as the Bulldogs held on for a handy seven-point lead at half time.

St Kilda  0.2  3.6  7.6  9.6 (60)
Western Bulldogs  2.5  4.7  6.7  7.11 (53)

GOALS
St Kilda: Riewoldt 4, Dal Santo, McQualter, Hayes, Fisher, Milne
Western Bulldogs: Hahn 2, Johnson 2, Picken, Higgins, Giansiracusa

BEST
St Kilda: Riewoldt, Hayes, Dal Santo, Fisher, Jones, Baker
Western Bulldogs: Griffen, Harbrow, Gilbee, Lake, Boyd, Johnson, Picken

INJURIES
St Kilda: Nil
Western Bulldogs: Nil

Reports: Nil

Umpires: McInerney, McBurney, Chamberlain
Official crowd: 78,245 at the MCG

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.